The bills at the center of contention between the ruling and opposition parties have been put on the fast track, but the National Assembly remains tense and there is a long road ahead before they are passed into law. The bills -- which deal with election reform, the authority of police and prosecutors to investigate cases and indict suspects, and the establishment of a new investigative body that would look at allegations against high-level government officials -- were placed on the fast track e

Politics April 30, 2019

The petitions board of the presidential office website is once again making headlines, this time over calls for the dissolution of political parties.A petition filed on April 22 requesting the dissolution of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party had garnered over 461,177 signatures as of 5:30 p.m. Monday.Liberty Korea Party lawmakers hold a protest at the National Assembly on Monday. YonhapThe petition claims the party is hampering legislative activities by staging protests outside the parliam

Politics April 29, 2019

The first anniversary of President Moon Jae-in’s initial meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has come and gone, as Seoul faces increasingly complex conditions in dealing with the North. Inter-Korean relations have seen little improvement in recent months, and US-North Korea denuclearization talks have stalled since the failure of the Hanoi summit in February.At the Hanoi event -- Kim’s second meeting with US President Donald Trump -- no agreement was reached, and the two sides have sinc

North Korea April 28, 2019

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un left the Russian city of Vladivostok on Friday, having held his first summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin the previous day. Kim’s train pulled out of Vladivostok at about 2 p.m. (Korean time) following a farewell ceremony. The train’s destination is unknown, but the North Korean leader is expected to head back to Pyongyang. Kim Jong-un (Yonhap)Kim was initially expected to leave the Russian city late at night after touring various military and public faci

North Korea April 26, 2019

Inviting North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to the South Korea-ASEAN summit remains an open question, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Thursday. Speaking at a meeting with senior leaders of the Asia News Network -- a coalition of 24 news organizations from across Asia -- in Seoul, Moon said the matter is outside of South Korea’s control, and that all the Association of Southeast Asian Nations members would need to agree. President Moon Jae-in addresses members of Asia News Network at a meeti

North Korea April 25, 2019

Seoul’s presidential office on Thursday appointed Ko Min-jung as its new spokesperson, filling the post left vacant since last month.  Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Ko Min-jung. YonhapKo, 39, had served as deputy spokesperson for the presidential office since President Moon Jae-in took office in May 2017. She began her career as a television announcer in 2004 with public broadcaster KBS. Ahead of the 2017 presidential election, she left KBS and later joined then-candidate Moon’s campaign. Ko replaces

Politics April 25, 2019

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Wednesday arrived in Vladivostok, Russia, a day ahead of his first summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Kim set out for Russia via his private train in the early hours of Wednesday and arrived in the Russian border city of Khasan at about 10:40 a.m., before moving on to Vladivostok, where he arrived some six hours later. In an interview with Russian media after a welcome ceremony in Khasan, Kim hinted at strengthening cooperation with Moscow in regiona

North Korea April 24, 2019

The prosecution on Monday assessed former President Park Geun-hye’s health following her request for a stay of execution of her prison sentence on medical grounds. According to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, two prosecutors including a former medical doctor assessed her condition at the Seoul Detention Center.  (Yonhap)Park requested the stay of execution April 17, citing severe pain caused by spinal problems affecting her neck and lower back. The prosecutors reportedly reviewed

Social Affairs April 22, 2019

The Korean government will focus resources into boosting non-memory semiconductors, bio industry and next-generation automotive technology.According to reports, the presidential office has selected the three industries to lead the country’s economic growth into the future and will tailor policies to facilitate their growth.  President Moon Jae-in speaks during a meeting with senior aides on April 15. YonhapThe decision was reportedly based on the Moon Jae-in administration’s goal to aid the deve

Politics April 22, 2019

The friction between the ruling bloc and the main opposition Liberty Korea Party is showing signs of intensifying following a conservative rally Saturday. On Saturday, estimated 20,000 conservatives gathered in central Seoul in a rally organized by the Liberty Korea Party. The party’s rally, the first major demonstration organized by the party since Hwang Kyo-ahn took office as its leader, was joined by members of smaller conservative groups supporting former President Park Geun-hye. Hwang Kyo-a

Politics April 21, 2019

North Korea on Thursday reported the development of a new tactical weapons system, adding uncertainty to the situation surrounding the Korean Peninsula. According to the North’s Korean Central News Agency, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attended the testing of a newly developed guided tactical weapons system on Wednesday, and applauded the development as having a “very big significance” in strengthening the country’s military capabilities. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is seen inspecting an a

North Korea April 18, 2019

President Moon Jae-in has called for another inter-Korean meeting in his ongoing efforts to be a mediator in denuclearization talks between North Korea and the US, but the task may have become tougher, according to experts. Unlike previous occasions where Seoul mediated US-North Korea talks, Seoul now faces a situation where summit talks between the two countries have failed to produce an agreement and there are signs of North Korea deviating from its denuclearization pledge.Satellite imagery re

North Korea April 17, 2019

President Moon Jae-in on Monday called for another inter-Korean summit, saying that Pyongyang and Washington have expressed willingness to continue dialogue and that Seoul needs to lay the foundation for bigger results. “The Korean Peninsula peace process has entered the phase of building on the North-US Hanoi summit to prepare for practical results for the next stage,” Moon said at a weekly meeting with senior aides. President Moon Jae-in presides over the meeting with senior aides at the presi

North Korea April 15, 2019

President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday set out for Washington to meet with US President Donald Trump, as the South Korean leader seeks to revitalize US-North Korea dialogue. On Thursday, Moon is to hold consecutive meetings with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, national security adviser John Bolton and Vice President Mike Pence. The meetings will be followed by a one-on-one and expanded summit with Trump over a course of two hours, according to Cheong Wa Dae. Seoul says the summit was arranged bas

North Korea April 10, 2019

President Moon Jae-in will leave for Washington on Wednesday to meet with US President Donald Trump, as the allies seek ways to cooperate on North Korea issues, Seoul’s presidential office said Tuesday. “The summit is being held based on the shared perception that cooperation between the two countries is important in reviving the momentum for dialogue in the wake of the Hanoi summit,” Kim Hyun-chong, second deputy director of the National Security Office, said.  Kim Hyun-chong, second deputy dir

North Korea April 9, 2019